A Romance of Ones and Zeroes
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: On Ciel's eighteenth birthday, the Phantomhive heir decided to make a profile on a dating site in an act of boredom and a desire for something new. Needless to say, Ciel got more than he bargained for. ... SebastianxCiel; eventual M rating
1. Chapter 1

_**A Romance of Ones and Zeroes  
**By:_ Neko-chan

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Kuroshitsuji, as awesome as it would be otherwise. I am making no profit off of this story. Cupids-Arrow[dot]net is, to my knowledge, my own creation. If any dating site pops up with that name anytime soon, be sure to tell me so that I can collect royalties for name use. -laughs-

_Summary:_ [AU (kinda); modern times] On Ciel's eighteenth birthday, the Phantomhive heir decided to make a profile on a dating site in an act of boredom and a desire for something new. Needless to say, Ciel got more than he bargained for.

_WARNING:_ This story will eventually be bumped up from a 'T' rating to an 'M.' The bumping-up won't happen for a while, but it will eventually come. The reason for the increase? The featured relationship is going to be Sebastian/Ciel. Therefore, if you don't like slash, yaoi, shounen-ai, homosexual pairings and relationships and sex, male-on-male action, boi pr0n, etc., I very much suggest that you run while you still can. ;)

_Author's Note:_ No, I have no idea where this came from. Yes, I do realize that it probably makes no sense whatsoever. Am I going to write it anyway? You betcha. ;) For those who decide that they want to stick around... well, needless to say, I hope that you enjoy the ride. (And as for that 'AU (kinda)' comment: you'll find out what I mean soon enough!)

_Dedication:_ As with most of my recent Kuroshitsuji stories, this one's also dedicated to Lily. Thank you for listening to my rambling about the series (both anime and manga), babe. I really appreciate it, especially since most people would just tell me to stfu and stop overthinking and overanalyzing things (the curse of being an English major!). I hope that you like this story, too, and I proooomise that I'll be writing you That One Story soon~ -hugs-

* * *

**A Romance of Ones and Zeroes**

Chapter One: Riddle Me This

---

The first thing that Ciel realized when he opened his eyes on his eighteenth birthday was that he was bored. The second was a decision that he wanted to do something to change this. The third was a consideration as to _how_ that change could come about.

Staring up at the blank whiteness of his bedroom ceiling, the now-adult contemplated what he could do to change that boredom. There was little that he could do at the moment: the fourteenth of December--eleven days before Christmas and a little bit more than half of a month to New Year's; fall semester's finals had finished the week before and he didn't have his spring semester classes until the seventh of January. Nothing to do, nothing to change; boring, boring, boring.

There was a stagnancy to his current situation and Ciel hated that more than anything else.

It was... well, _dull_.

And, at the very least, as a present to himself, Ciel wanted to do something interesting; he wanted to make some action that would mark a change. The thing was, though, the blue-eyed boy couldn't _think_ of anything. It was funny, in a way, that the normally highly intelligent university student--president of his family's toy company since the death of his parents--could draw a blank on a puzzle that should have been so easy to solve.

...and there it was, the answer to his problem: A puzzle.

One of the things that had always made Ciel despair was the fact that no one around him could keep up with his verbal traps, was willing to play his word games and riddles--riddles that he had made up himself and riddles that he had found in so many different places, stories and cultures and word-of-mouth all. The puzzles and riddles and problems that he loved solving had always been an open obsession with him that warred against the toy company for Ciel's encompassing attention. At one point, Lizzie had laughed that Ciel's future human love would have to be both smart enough to deal with all of the word puzzles and savvy enough to play through the business politics that came with the boy's company.

That person would have to be interesting, intelligent, willing to play with him; that person was someone who couldn't be _boring_.

And, with that, Ciel decided what he wanted most for his birthday.

-

After several hours of contemplation, however, Ciel came to the first snag in his plan in getting what he wanted the most: everyone around him that were able to keep up with him were too old, related to him, not interesting enough, or unattractive. Perhaps the former and latter were shallow in their own ways, but Ciel knew that he wanted something better than that for himself and he wasn't willing to settle for anything less than perfection.

In the end, the result was always the same: No one around him was currently suited to meet the standards that Ciel wasn't willing to give up on.

-

The solution to all of _that_, however, was a bit more complicated and took Ciel most of the day to finally give in to. If those around him were unsuited to his needs--and that, by default, also included the circles that he vaguely participated in--then he would have to look elsewhere for that 'present.' He'd have to broaden his horizons, would have to look at people outside of his usual interactions...

The eighteen year-old grimaced because he, too, knew the answer to that particular problem.

Eventually, though it took longer than it perhaps should have, even that distaste was overcome and Ciel went to sign up for a site that no young male would openly admit to turning to unless he was absolutely desperate: a dating site. Different pages were skimmed and then tossed away. Either the clientele were too old, too boring, too focused on things that Ciel thought was unimportant, but he came across a lesser known site after a bit more time digging--Cupids-Arrow[dot]net.

The blue-eyed boy signed up for a two month subscription and picked out one of the many pictures of himself that littered the internet--he was feeling motivated in finding someone to entertain him and complement him, but he was still young enough that Ciel didn't think that it was _too_ much of a priority (just yet, anyway, though Tanaka _had_ been making particularly pointed "Ho ho ho."s as of late). Still... it would be nice to finally have someone that he'd be able to consider an equal.

So Ciel picked one of the pictures that he remembered Lizzie cooing over longer than usual; he was facing the camera in this picture, and Ciel could see for himself that the look in his gaze was sardonic, though his cousin had exclaimed over how handsome his smile was (_sarcastic_, he had corrected in his own mind) and how competent he looked in that black suit. Showing off his smooth skin, making his hair look darker than usual, and causing his eyes to gleam like sapphire--all words that his cousin had used and all words that had made him laugh at the time. But... well, Lizzie was a girl and he supposed that he could trust her taste, despite her rather frightening tendency towards wearing pink and frills and her attempts in getting him into a similar wardrobe.

Even with all that, it was still the picture that Ciel picked over all of the others--a silent hat's off to his cousin and his trust and affection in her that he knew he didn't demonstrate often enough.

The profile was the easiest thing to answer:

A riddle, granted a relatively simple one, and a challenge to those who came across his page--

_At night they come without being fetched,  
And by day they are lost without being stolen._

_Riddle me this, answer me this... answer the riddle and proceed on to the next step of the game if you think yourself capable of doing so._

-

It didn't take long before someone actually responded

-

Thirteen minutes later, Ciel got a reply from the user 'Malphas.'

_The answer to your riddle is 'the stars,' Riddle Master. Or shall I call you 'bocchan'?_

And Ciel smiled. It was always fun when others actually took up the challenge of the thrown gauntlet--and this particular user looked like he would be a great deal of fun, just from this first response. Leaning back in his leather office chair, the young man lightly tapped his mouth with a finger and contemplated a reply that would suit.

-

Yes.

He had doubted it in the beginning, but this was the perfect birthday present to himself.

* * *

~To be continued...~


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note:_ Thank you so much for the reviews, everyone! I hope that you will continue enjoying the story as the chapters come~

* * *

**A Romance of Ones and Zeroes**

Chapter Two: The Beginning of an Electronic Courtship

---

As Ciel stared at the email response from Malphas, the young man idly tapped his pressed lips with his index finger. _Tap, tap, tap_--as he fell into thought, staring at the message before him. The answer to his riddle had been correct, but there was something--he didn't know what--that made him pause before he clicked on the 'reply' button. The blue-eyed boy had learned to listen to his instincts as time had passed and more and more people fought to take his father's company away from him. It was an instinct that had warned him against hiring certain people, only later learning that those same people had had a subtle history in destroying a company and bringing its owners to their knees.

He listened to that quiet not-voice (because there had never been any words, just an all-encompassing feeling of unrest) and clicked on Malphas' name, curious to see what profile the other user would have. Would the profile be detailed? What would Malphas say about himself? What did he look like? It was just a start in answering that primeval urge of 'Caution. Wait. Watch.'--and Ciel knew that, right now, it wasn't a very thorough start...

But it was something.

The blue-eyed teenager leaned back in his office chair as he idly watched the green status columns on the bottom of the page as they began to slowly fill up the bar, showing that the information was darting across wires and space, loading--albeit taking its time. But, then again, Ciel was overly impatient in finding out, seeing who this user was; Ciel knew himself well enough to realize that he wanted more information so that he knew where to shift the resulting conversation towards. Manipulating others, like a Chess Master, pushing them towards the end that he wanted... Ciel was good at it, even capable of exercising that particular power over the computer and despite never meeting his 'opponent.'

When the page finally finished loading, however, Ciel realized that he had nothing.

And that made him _furious_.

-

There was no profile. There was no picture.

There was just empty, white space with the name 'Malphas' done in bold, archaic writing up at the top of the page near the address bar. Ciel hissed his irritation at finding nothing, hating how this essential stranger had caught his attention--and he knew _nothing_ about him in return. That was _unacceptable_. He would not allow himself to be caught, to be fascinated by someone without knowing anything of him in return. As of right now, 'Malphas' was a ghost: he may have existed, but if he dared to contact Ciel and provide nothing in return... completely and totally unacceptable, and it made the ire within the teenager rise.

(And it was that thought that made Ciel pause and grudgingly admit--at least to himself--that he was already intrigued: the sarcasm that loaded the message, the mocking reference to him being a 'Riddle Master.' Even the correct answer to the riddle when others may have guessed differently. It was an instant attraction, an instant interest and it wasn't fair that the other user could get away with nothing when Ciel had actually put up a picture of himself--giving others something to base their own interest on.)

No picture, no information, no profile, nothing except the user's name. 'Malphas.'

Sighing softly, Ciel copied it and tabbed open another page, pasting the name into the search engine to see if anything would actually turn up; he wasn't expecting it to, but with as little as he had been given in the first place... well, it would be _something_ and hopefully it would give a hint as to this person's character.

The search came up with results, and Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned forward to read the words that filled the computer screen. And his breath hitched, just slightly, and those narrowed eyes widened:

_In demonology and its various branches, Malphas has long been recognized as one of the lords of Hell, one of the strongest in that he has forty legions of demons under his command. There have been many powers accredited to him, but some of the more known ones have been: He builds houses, towers, fortresses, and other strongholds--and just as easily destroys the ones belonging to his enemies; he can read desires and thoughts, also knowing everything that a person has done if he so wished. Malphas is also known as the Deceiver because he accepts any sacrifice offered to him with a willing and kind façade, but he will ultimately betray and deceive those who offer up the sacrifice to him. Malphas is most commonly depicted in the form of a crow, but will change his shape to that of a man upon request or with his own choosing._

- - -

There had been a dream.

Ciel didn't often remember it, but he did know that it had started soon after his parents' death. When he had mentioned this particular dream to the people that he could trust in not telling anyone else, he had gotten vague answers related to 'shock' and 'grief,' answers that denied the subtle, almost unconscious fear--and curiosity--that the dream always seemed to rouse in him. As wary as he knew he should be of the dream and the place that the dream took him, Ciel still couldn't help but look forward to the nights when he knew that it would return. Never understanding _how_ he knew that he would dream this dream that night, he still accepted it as fact. And it always came.

The dream hadn't come in months...

--but the familiar shiver ran up his spine, and Ciel knew what he would dream of that night.

The blue-eyed teen closed his eyes then, fingers paused above his computer's keyboard, and let himself sink down into what he _did_ remember of the dream. It was always dark in the dreaming-place, though a faint glow came from some source that he could never find. Dark, dark, impossibly black--and, from the corner of his eyes, there always hunched a blacker-than-black (obsidian, he thought now, taking in shades with his wakeful mind) figure. Never hiding, never moving: impossibly patient, and Ciel couldn't help but wonder to himself what the figure was waiting for.

During the last time he had had this dream--he remembered, now, thinking back upon it--the figure had opened its mouth and a hoarse caw had escaped. A gallows' cry, Ciel remembered reading once in a book. The figure had been a crow--had always been a crow--and had haunted Ciel's dreams since he was a child.

It was a coincidence, though, because any other interpretation _couldn't be possible_.

"All right... Malphas," Ciel whispered softly, voice husky, as he stared at the computer screen. His gaze flickered away for a moment and he reached up to close out the tab that had the information on the literal meaning of 'Malphas.' It wasn't possible--and Ciel wasn't willing to consider anything outside of the norm. (And yet... the uneasiness still lingered.) He repeated: "All right."

Finally clicking on the 'reply' button to the original message, Ciel paused for a moment--just a moment--and caught his lower lip between his teeth. Perhaps it was unwise to go ahead and bother with someone whose face he hadn't even seen--let alone the fact that he had no idea who this person was: age, gender, occupation, location; everything was a complete blank to the teenager--but the fact still remained that this complete stranger had already done with no one else around him had managed to accomplish. The stranger, Malphas, had caught his attention.

And thus Ciel began to type.

-

_Demon Lord (for that is what I shall call you since you give me no name and show enough arrogance to claim such a title):_

_I've never claimed to be a Riddle Master, but if that is what you wish to call me... well, I have no aversion to such a name. I do, however, enjoy games--and that is what this interchange is and shall remain (a game) unless you somehow manage to catch my attention further. I have always looked for someone who will be able to match me, complementing me in the ways that I need them to do so. I've always loved word games and those word games are something that no one has ever managed to match me on._

_Thus: match me, keep up with me, catch me--if you dare._

_Give me a challenge._

_For now, I give you another riddle; I'm curious to see how you respond in kind._

_For some I go fast--  
For others I go slow.  
To most people, I'm an obsession;  
Relying on me is a well-practiced lesson.  
_

_What am I, Sir Demon?_

_Dutifully awaiting your response,  
Riddle Master_

-

Wondering what type of response he would get--if one at all--Ciel stared at the computer screen for several breaths after he had pressed 'send.' As interested as he was... it couldn't be allowed to consume him, couldn't yet be allowed to take over his life. Not waiting to see if the other user would just as quickly reply, Ciel turned off his monitor and pushed away from his desk.

He had work to do.

It was then that Tanaka softly knocked on his office's door before carefully pushing it open. "The people who are applying for the various openings in the household staff are here, Ciel," the elderly man murmured in his quiet--though now-creaky--voice. He was the only one of Ciel's employees who was allowed to call the teenager by his name, and it was because of the fact that Tanaka had been with his family for so long. Though the line between employer and employee was always there, it was thinned to misty vagueness when applied to Tanaka and his standing in Ciel's life.

The boy sighed, however; when he had decided to turn his attention back to work, this wasn't what he had originally intended.

"Send them in, please," he answered, the added 'please' yet another courtesy that only Tanaka was privvy to. Hiding his irritation beneath lowered lashes, Ciel reached forward and tugged the stack of folders closer. Two openings for the position of 'maid,' one for cook, one for gardener since the current one was retiring soon, and an opening for a personal assistant--in older times, Ciel supposed that that particular job was referred to as 'butler' or 'valet.' He didn't particularly care; all of this took attention that he _could _be giving to his family's company instead.

But the blue-eyed teen sighed inaudibly and picked up the first applicant's folder, glancing down with an idle, absent gaze.

'Sebastian Michaelis,' read the name on the folder.

There was no picture, however, and Ciel smothered a brief surge of irritation at how common that seemed today. Still, however, he leaned back against his chair, settling himself comfortably, and prepared himself to meet people who might become his new staff members.

* * *

~To be continued...~


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:_ Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and story alerts!

* * *

**A Romance of Ones and Zeroes**

Chapter Three: Chess Master

---

The man who stepped into Ciel's office did not look like a 'Sebastian Michaelis.'

...or so the teen thought.

He wasn't quite sure what the would-be employee should look like, but a 'Sebastian' certainly wasn't it. Still, however, the Phantomhive heir leaned forward to prop his chin in the palm of his hand, eyebrows lifting in a sardonic gesture as he, too, was assessed, glanced over, and--quite obviously--evaluated. "Do I pass the test?" the blue-eyed teen finally asked as the moment of silence stretched into a minute and then two. The smile that he gave the other man would never be considered a _nice_ smile, but--then again--Ciel figured that the other man should know what he may be getting himself into.

In answer to that, however: Sebastian tutted softly, head tilting slightly to the side as he lightly tapped his chin with a forefinger. "Mmmm. Well, I can say with all honesty that you're not at all what I was hoping for," the black-haired man said in reply, expression blank of all emotion except for a distant kind of amusement (and, even then, Ciel could tell that _that_ emotion wasn't at all genuine). "I had always thought that those who carried the Phantomhive name were supposed to be a bit more... intimidating. Taller."

And, with that, Sebastian once more tapped his chin as his mouth made a small moue--as if disappointed by how very short his would-be future employer was.

Ciel's eyes narrowed at the insult. "I just turned eighteen. I obviously haven't finished growing," the blue-eyed teen snapped out; and though he didn't say it aloud, the 'you idiot' that went unsaid was still very much understood.

The older man's moue just increased at Ciel's words. "Eighteen? Ah, I must apologize. I had originally thought you twelve."

Needless to say, the urge to throw the leaded crystal paperweight on the desk towards Sebastian's head was great.

In the end, Ciel took a deep breath and leaned back into his leather chair, frowning slightly up at Sebastian before once more propping his chin in the palm of his hand in an indolent gesture. "I don't understand why you're applying for this job when you take so much joy out of mocking your employer. Did you just apply so that you could get close enough to ridicule me? If that's the case, you might as well leave now; I have no need to have you in my employ."

Sebastian just smiled: predatory, with a white gleam of teeth. It was an intimidating type of smile, and Ciel's belly tightened for just a moment in fear, fragments of his dream skittering across his mind for moments before the blue-eyed teen was able to shove them away. That particular smile was such a _familiar_ one, created such a _familiar_ sensation... and Ciel didn't trust it at all, nor did he like the way that his mouth dried in an almost instinctive fear. A type of reaction, a type of fear that this man _did not _and _should not_ inspire: Sebastian was a mocking ass and Ciel would soon enough have him kicked out and blocked from the area.

But while the Phantomhive heir was lost in his nightmare, Sebastian had been speaking: "...Phantomhive heir, the top echelon of English nobility. A servant's job is to prepare his or her master to face both the common people as well as members of their own society. If you don't have the ability to brush away my comments, how will you fare against the barbed insults of your peers? I say what I say to give you practice in conversation, to prepare you for the 'outside world'--if I did anything less, I wouldn't be one hell of a butler."

The smile deepened for a moment and Ciel glanced away, attention caught for a moment by the blinking of his computer screen.

-- _2 New Messages: [user] Malphas; [user] Adonis _--

Despite the irritation that he currently felt for Sebastian, Ciel couldn't stop the snort that escaped from him when he saw the name of the second user. 'Someone obviously has a rather high opinion of himself,' the Phantomhive thought to himself as he reached forward to close out the window.

"Does something amuse you?"

Stiffening at Sebastian's words, Ciel once more turned his attention away from the computer and the online dating website, clearing his throat and directing his attention back to the black-haired man. Sebastian, for his own part, said nothing--but he didn't have to, not with how his eyebrow slowly quirked in amusement. Just shaking his head, irritated at himself now, Ciel once more leaned forward, attention completely upon the would-be employee (and this time with no intention of direction that attention elsewhere). Bluntly, the teen asked: "Why do you want to work for me?"

To that, Sebastian also leaned forward, mimicking--and mocking--Ciel's posture as he gave the boy his full attention in turn. His gaze was uncanny, and Ciel couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable as the older man watched and assessed, the expression in his mahogany eyes unreadable. "Ciel Phantomhive: owner, president, and supervisor within your family's toy company; high honors university student; head of the Phantomhive family; currently the only direct descendant of the famous, noble line. Your kind is dying out, my lord. Bloodlines eventually fail and merge with the 'common people.' People can typically claim that 'Oh, my ancestor was a duke.'--or a count or a king. Not many still exist who can lay direct claim onto that same title that everyone else _used_ to have. A boy" here, Sebastian smirked "--my apologies, a _young man_ faced with so many obstacles coming from both his 'inner' circles and 'outer' world. So many obstacles before you... and yet you're slowly but surely overcoming each and every one."

Ciel's fingers curled inwards and he had to try harder than it should have been to keep himself from flinching at Sebastian's words. "What you said--how does it relate to _why_ you want to work for me?" he asked again, uncertainty and impatience and the lingering taste of fear in the back of his mouth making the question more snappish than what he had originally intended.

The smile, as before, deepened.

"As I watch your moves--taking over a rival company, putting stop to a social snub before a peer could find the opening to deliver it, coming out as the one with the highest class standing when others went out originally to set you up for failure--as I watch your decisions, I cannot help but compare it to a game of chess. Your opponent is the society that you immerse yourself in. And you're defeating it little by little. When--if--you win, you can claim the title of Chess Master. I'm curious to see if you can get that far."

Those words, under different circumstances, could have been considered inspiring. But with Sebastian's intimate knowledge of what he had said... Ciel couldn't help but wonder _how_ the older man had come to his knowledge: specific events mentioned, the scenarios of would-be disasters--and the telling of Ciel's eventual success over that almost catastrophe. Pushing away from the desk so that he'd have room to run if the need arose (and that need looked like it would be coming with each and every moment that Sebastian stayed as close as he was), Ciel's fingers curled in tight towards his palms. "You're a stalker."

A laugh then, and Sebastian's smile curled upwards in a decidedly feline expression. "A stalker?" the man asked, tone of voice bemused. "You have been followed by the paparazzi since your parents died. How is picking up a tabloid every so often to read what's inside considered 'stalking' since I didn't do any of the dogging myself?"

...as much as Ciel would have otherwise longed to disagree and argue, Sebastian's counter did make sense. Reporters had repeatedly shown up at events that Ciel had made appearances in--sometimes the men and women were persistent enough to scream out their questions about his mother and father's deaths as security carried the others off of the grounds. Ciel had always hated them.

Finally, though, after a moment of silence, the blue-eyed teen said: "I don't trust you."

Sebastian blinked slowly at that, gesture lazy and just as feline as his smile. "You shouldn't. You could hire me for the position of butler, or you can dismiss me now. It doesn't matter what you choose either way because you don't have the ability to trust anyone. Every person in your vicinity poses a threat to your company, your societal standing, your bloodline. Distrusting me is the first step in what needs to be done by you. However, I'm still the only one who can help you change in the ways that are needful. And you realize that, too, my lord."

There was another long moment of silence as Ciel weighed Sebastian's words, debating still on whether or not to toss the other out of the room at the very end. Again, however, the teen eventually spoke: "You mentioned a chess game earlier. If the Master and the pieces switched positions--if I got caught up in the actual game, what piece would I be?"

Sebastian chuckled softly to himself as he answered. "The King, of course."

"And you?"

For a moment--just the angle from the light, though, and that angle had changed because Sebastian had leaned forward to answer Ciel's question--the brown in the older man's mahogany eyes shifted just a little bit more to red. With those changed, eerie--frightening, the boy could at least admit to himself, even though that admittance came from the back of his mind, primeval and still wailing about monsters in the dark--eyes intent upon Ciel, Sebastian gave his reply. "The rook."

- - -

_There had been a dream._

The gallows' call that had echoed through his nightmares for the past several years, the figure that haunted his sleep: hunched and waiting, Ciel had always believed that that figure had an impossible amount of patience. It stayed and waited and watched and waited. Never truly moving, just staring at him with a red-tinted gaze. (Almost-but-not-quite the gaze being directed at him now.) Ciel had begun to think that the crow would always just stay there, hidden in the shadows and keeping to the corner of his eyes.

Maybe he was wrong.

- - -

Swallowing, Ciel shifted slightly in his seat. "'Rook' is an older word that was used for 'crow.'"

"Oh?" Sebastian asked idly, tone distantly interested in the other's words. "I hadn't realized that. The rook was always one of my favorite pieces because it could move in any direction except diagonal; only the Queen had more freedom. And the image of the castle, too: a solid defense against one's enemies."

The Phantomhive heir, unsettled, wrapped his arms around his waist as he tucked his hands into the opposite sleeves. Waiting until Sebastian had fallen silent once more, Ciel again asked: "Why do you want this job?"

When Sebastian opened his mouth to reply, lips curling up in that same grin as from before, Ciel knew--_somehow_--that the man's answer wouldn't be completely truthful. Something slightly off, something not completely honest; _something_ was there and, at the same time, _something_ was missing, but Ciel didn't know what... and thus the newly-made butler's words remained as-is, unchallenged: "For the pay."

* * *

~To be continued...~


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_ Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and story alerts! -laughs- Also, a gold star to **hyperdude** for guessing Adonis' identity correctly. Finally: I know that people have posed different questions and scenarios in the reviews--you're more than welcome to do so (I don't mind!), and I do hope that you guys will continue sticking with the story as more events unfold.

_Additional Note:_ The title of this chapter, "Weballergy," is a song by the band Sonata Arctica. I thought that the lyrics were apt. ;)

* * *

**A Romance of Ones and Zeroes**

Chapter Four: Weballergy

---

Several hours after the unsettling interview with his new butler, Ciel stared at the computer's monitor, otherwise lost in thought; iTunes was running and the teen watched as the words changed--artist and song name--every couple of moments, though silence reigned in his office since the volume's control had been scrolled down to 'zero.' The words didn't register, however: they were just something for Ciel to stare at as he thought.

Sebastian unsettled him.

Sebastian was rude and seemed to take pleasure in indulging himself with both subtle and blatant insults towards Ciel. An employer shouldn't be willing to deal with such insolence; in fact, most employers would have given the black-haired man the boot out of the door the first time that the would-be employee opened his mouth to say something _other_ than "Yes, sir!"

In any other circumstance--truthfully, any _normal_ circumstance--Ciel wouldn't have bothered to give Sebastian a minute of his time.

...so why had he been willing to put up with the rudeness, the invasion of privacy through several of the other's comments--why had Ciel been willing to put up with the feeling of quiet _fear_ that Sebastian seemed to inspire? True, the fear hadn't been overwhelming, had only been just enough to dry out his mouth and cause his heart to beat just a bit more quickly. But the fear and the unease and the almost-primal recognition that had frissoned through him... None of the above should have been considered encouragement to hire the older man.

So the question still remained: Why?

The deed had already been done--Ciel had hired Sebastian Michaelis--and he didn't intend to take away that offer of employment, no matter the second-thoughts that he had; an offer had been given and an offer had been accepted, fair across all boards. And Ciel only indulged in dirty tactics when the other started the 'game.' (It was harder, after all, for the opposing side to show evidence that the Phantomhive heir had been the cause of their ruin when--really, truly--it had been that side's original moves that had brought about the end result.) But, in the current situation... there wasn't really a _game_ in progress (thus far, anyway), so the offer had to remain valid.

But all that remained in instances that were _not_ now and were thus _not_ applicable, so the question continued to linger: Why?

With all of the things that had given Ciel a reason to turn Sebastian away, why had he instead given the man a position that would allow the other to remain in close proximity? The only other person who had more freedom in his coming-and-goings was Tanaka himself, and Tanaka had stayed with Ciel's family for years--had watched the teen's father grow from child to young adult to finally a man. Tanaka had earned his position. Sebastian had not. And yet...

And yet...

"He's not boring," Ciel finally admitted to himself, allowing the words to come in a voice that was barely audible in the quiet of his office.

Even if he wouldn't admit it aloud anywhere else _to_ anyone else, Ciel could at least admit this truth to himself. He was so desperately bored that he was willing to take this risk for entertainment; at this moment, Sebastian was a puzzle and, putting aside the feeling of being unsettled, the man was a puzzle that the teen wanted to solve. True, he would have to tread cautiously to make sure that this decision didn't backfire on him... but if he was careful, if he was cautious, the butler could still provide Ciel with a form of quick-witted entertainment that was 'real' instead of having to rely on the internet and who he might find there. Entertainment, engagement, challenge--despite all, Ciel _could not _let himself be unguarded around Sebastian if he truly did intend to let the other remain in his employ.

Shaking his head at what he knew was his own folly, Ciel sighed quietly to himself and finally increased the volume bar on the minimized iTunes player, bringing the sound to a point where the teen would be able to hear the music and the words easily, but not to the point where the songs would overwhelm and distract away from work. It was the volume that Ciel typically had his music set at, wanting it to be a background noise that helped him focus and keep on task. (The only variation in this habit being how loud Ciel played his music when he was driving in his sleek little Lotus Elise; there, with no need to focus on work and no requirement to have music be a necessary background component to his day... Ciel played his music as loud as he wanted--though always made sure to keep it at a 'reasonable' level when pulling up in front of Tanaka.)

The teen snorted to himself at that, knowing full well that he was distracting himself away from the business of the day. Under _normal_ circumstances, that in and of itself wouldn't be too worrying--but since one of the company's toys was behind schedule and Ciel _should_ be paying attention to that... well. Business first; pleasure later. (Or held off for as long as possible; after all, Ciel may have been unusually smart for his age, but he was still a teen--and he didn't give himself _that_ much credit.)

With that in mind, Ciel skipped over the two new emails from Cupids-Arrow[dot]net and began running numbers to see just how much the delayed production was going to cost him and his company.

-

It was several hours later that Ciel was finally able to put aside the company business to do something for himself. While he had only intended to skim through the reports about the delay, the reports themselves had proved worrying--and had thus kept the teen's attention for an extended amount of time. It seemed, though, that with a little bit of extra attention to the problem, the issues in the production would be smoothed out and the company would be able to break even in that particular sector. Ciel sighed softly to himself and scrubbed his hands over his face, attempting to banish the stress caused by such a situation; the stress didn't leave, but the thought of what awaited him did lessen it: the two new emails.

Glancing down at his inbox, Ciel caught his lower lip between his teeth before reaching out with the mouse and clicking on the email from the user that he didn't know: Adonis. As his gaze skimmed over the message from Adonis, the teen's eyes slowly began to narrow into angry slits.

_Dearest user: I have always loved riddles, the shy play of a maiden's flirting games--too coy to be too bold, too beautiful to catch a lover through any other means--for, to see her face, the man would fall instantly in love with her. Such superficial beauty! But I, dearest user, I can appreciate true beauty: the beauty of looks and the beauty of intellect! Please, dearest user, dearest maiden, please respond and tell me that I am correct:_

_The answer to your riddle is 'dreams.' The sweet dreams that cause maidens to rise blushing from each and every morning, the dreams of true love and a true love's kiss! Please, let me take joy in the beauty of your intellect, just as I take joy in the beauty of your face._

_Always yours,_

_Adonis_

As Ciel read through the letter, he couldn't stop his jaw from dropping both with shock and indignation. He, unlike certain others, _had_ actually included a picture of himself in his profile--and this asshole thought that he was a _girl_?? That, including Sebastian's comment from earlier about his height, was more than Ciel was willing to stand. The response he typed out was short and straight to the point.

_I'm male, you moron._

Hitting send immediately after pushing on the period's button, Ciel closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, reaching up to rub gently at his temples. It was insulting that the idiot user 'Adonis' had thought him female, but hopefully the humiliation he would suffer in Ciel's reply--at the realization that the flowery things he had spouted had been directed at a _guy_--would make the other crawl off in horrified mortification. It was the least he deserved, certainly.

Next, though, was the letter that Ciel had been saving from Malphas. The blue-eyed teen licked his lips, and once more lifted his head, eyes opening, to cautiously look at the email from the user who _had_ caught his attention. 'Malphas,' the demon lord who hid in the form of a raven. But... there was no such thing as demons, just nightmares--and the name probably held some meaning for the user (hence Ciel needed to be cautious of him-her-it, irregardless of how interested the teen was). Not knowing why he acted in such a way--and the lack of knowledged inspired an irritation at himself that demonstrated itself in a reckless, foolhardy way--Ciel leaned in and quickly clicked on the last email in his inbox, watching with rapt attention as the page loaded and the email's message finally came up onto the computer screen.

_Your latest riddle, bocchan, was simple enough to solve: Time. Time moves slowly for some, quickly for others; all are obsessed with it (else why would civilization create ways of breaking it down into years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds, etc.?). It is here, though, that I offer up a change: You have given riddles the past two messages, and now I believe that it is my turn to return in kind. Answer my riddle, Riddle Master, if you believe yourself so clever._

_What thing is that, nor felt nor seene  
Till it bee given? a present for a Queene:  
A fine conceite to give and take the like:  
The giver yet is farther for to seeke;  
The taker doth possesse nothing the more,  
The giver hee hath nothing lesse in store:  
And given once that nature hath it still,  
You cannot keepe or leave it if you will:  
The workmanshippe is counted very small,  
The labour is esteemed naught at all:  
But to conclude, this gift is such indeede,  
That, if some see't 'twill make theyr hearts to bleede _

_Until your next message,  
Malphas_

_-_

Ciel stared at the message for long moments before reaching up and closing out the window. He knew the answer, of course; how could he _not_ know the answer when he had had a British Literature tutor as obsessed with poetry as Mr. Hartland had been? "A Riddle: On A Kiss" by William Strode--even now, Ciel could hear the man's voice murmur out the words into the sun-filtered air on the Phantomhive estate. The then-child had watched the sun's light catch upon dust motes as they danced through the library. Mr. Hartland had been his favorite tutor, and Ciel had mourned quietly when the man couldn't teach him anything more. Still, though, even now: Ciel had kept the other's love of poetry, reading thick volumes of it from the various eras to himself when he couldn't sleep at night.

A kiss.

A kiss was the answer to Malphas' riddle--and it was an answer that Ciel was cautious in giving because, it seemed, things were progressing much too quickly with the user. A feeling of foreboding crawled up his spine, and the teen couldn't tell himself _why_ he felt that way. True, he didn't know Malphas' real name, didn't even know what the other looked like. But wasn't that the case in other "real life" situations, as well? However, also true was the fact that the name that dating site user had picked for himself scared the teen a little--something he could only admit to himself, when he was alone with his thoughts--and also the fact that the user wrote in a sarcastic tone both appealed and grated at Ciel. Already, just several messages later, the Phantomhive heir found himself deeply intrigued.

Was that _natural_?

He pushed away from his desk then, reaching out to turn off the computer. If needed, he would reply tomorrow. For now, however, Ciel wanted to rethink the wisdom in joining the online dating site, in engaging in a conversation with a person whose face he didn't even know. The teen was aware of the dangers with engaging with strangers in such a setting, oftentimes read the 'bad luck' stories that sometimes appeared in the newspapers. So: he would be cautious, careful. And Ciel would decide once and for all if this was what he should really be doing--boredom aside.

Pushing the power button and waiting until the computer finished shutting down, Ciel gathered together the paperwork that he would take home with him to look over during dinner, and then made his way towards the office door. It pushed itself open before the boy could touch the knob, however, and Ciel started back in surprise.

Sebastian stepped out from the shadows.

"Are you ready, my lord...? Tanaka gave me the honor of driving you home."

Ciel swallowed and glanced up at his newest employee before brushing past him, making sure that each and every gesture oozed Societal arrogance. "I am done for the day, yes, and more than ready to go home. Bring the car around, Sebastian."

After all (as he watched Sebastian leave towards the parking garage), if Ciel wanted to be truly honest with himself, he could admit things had _certainly_ suddenly become interesting enough in his everyday life.

* * *

~To be continued...~


End file.
